12:18, 8 May 2021

Law enforcers' raids affect attendance of "Tangim" Mosque in Dagestan

The Makhachkala "Tangim" Mosque. Photo by Ilyas Kapiev for the "Caucasian Knot"

During their raid on Friday (May 7), law enforcers checked believers' documents at exits from the Makhachkala "Tangim" Mosque. Believers are afraid that after the raids they will be placed under the so-called "prophylactic registry"; therefore, they visit the mosque less often, a mosque employee has stated.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on January 15, 2021, law enforcers held the first raid in several weeks at the "Tangim" Mosque, copying the data of some of its visitors. At least 40 law enforcers took part in the raid, the journalist, Idris Yusupov, has reported.

In 2020, law enforcers regularly conducted their raids near the "Tangim" Mosque. The official reasons for the raids are "ensuring security" in crowded places, or routine checks, but the mosque's leadership treats the raids as a form of pressure on believers.

After a series of complaints and lawsuits, law enforcers stopped detaining mosque visitors, and only copied their personal data. Such believers later found themselves in the "prophylactic registry".

There are fewer applications from residents of Dagestan demanding to remove them from the "prophylactic registry", said an employee of the Dagestani branch of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial". In his opinion, this is due to a decrease in law enforcers' pressure on those who are in the registry.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 7, 2021 at 10:30 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Source: CK correspondent